Just Kidding

So I'm not a doctor, and I'm not really sure how allergies work beyond the basics, but this one has got me totally thrown.  Saturday AJ had a reaction to eggs.  If you are keeping score, the progression has gone like this:

~2 months ago:  yolks, no reaction
~1 month ago:  whole egg, no reaction
Florida 3 weeks ago:  whole egg (undercooked?), a few hives all of a sudden while he ate
Last week:  Whole egg twice in the week, no reaction
Saturday:
Egg for lunch (ate the whole thing), red spots on face, or just messy eating?
Wake up from nap, hives on his face, ears very red and starting to swell(?!), followed by hives on neck, redness and hives on his legs, under arms and on belly.

Poor kiddo!  Although none of this seemed to phase him at all...so I guess poor mom and dad is more like it.

I had no idea your ears could swell from an allergy.  So, AJ got his first dose of Benedryl ever on Saturday and symptoms subsided within 30 minutes.  I don't know if the level of egg cooked-ness is a real thing or not, and maybe he'd be fine eating something with egg as an ingredient, but I'm not really very eager to try.

In happier news, AJ loves being outside now that the weather is nicer!  He constantly asks to go over to the window or door with an aggressive point of his arm.  He's been 'walking' holding our fingers more and more and even though when he tries to say most words they come out as "da" "ba" or "ka" he actually does have consistent words for 'up' (puh),  'milk' (ka), and 'car' (ca), not to be confused with his word for 'vacuum' which is more like a German back of the throat kkkkkkkkkaaaaa or the sound you would make if you swallowed a bug.  He is obsessed with the vacuum.  Even the swiffer will due in absence of a vacuum.  The cutest thing lately though is if you ask him if he has smelly feet, he reaches down to get his foot and smells it with a nose inhale sound and all.  He also plays peekaboo with himself in the mirror when he wakes up in the morning.  He has been much more willing to give mommy hugs and 'cuddle' with daddy, which he learned from one of his books, called (of course) "Cuddle".  He got a stuffed animal for Easter which he immediately hugged, as he does his other stuffed animals.  It is beyond adorable to see him start to show affection, and even kind of know what it means.  Almost 14 months old... where did the time go!

Worry of the Day

Since there probably is a new worry every day, sometimes founded, sometimes paranoid, here is today's:

When do we teach AJ that his name is actually Anthony?  I picture him on the first day of Kindergarten as his new teacher is taking attendance, and not answering when they say Anthony, and just sitting quietly hopeful that at some point in the list the teacher will say AJ.  Because as a Kindergartener, that's what I would've done.  We will definitely have to teach him to not be as polite as his mom.
Ooof.  Still better than teaching him hamburger = cow.

Reversal of Fortune

As it turns out, AJ is not allergic to eggs after all.  We tried again this weekend and he had no reaction, and actually ate the whole thing.  I don't know what happened last attempt but he is apparently over it, and I am rejoicing to have one more food to be able to give him.

This weekend we also tried salmon for the first time.  Perhaps it was because he was also having awesome, delicious sweet potato, but he hated the salmon.  Like, wouldnt even pick it up.  When he accidentally got some in his mouth he made a terrible face and picked it off his tongue.  Hilarious.  But the funny part for me was when I enthusiastically announced "AJ, we're having fish for dinner!' and he started to make the fishy noise that he makes when we see pet goldfish.  Oh my gosh.  Panic.  Someday I will have to explain that we eat animals. The animals that he plays with plastic toy replicas of and lovingly makes their sounds. In all of my anticipatory worry about parenthood, that was not a question I thought of!   Maybe we will just be vegetarians and I can avoid the topic forever!

Everything Must Go!

In the 20 days since my last update, I'm [fill in undecided feeling here] to say that I have successfully gotten down to producing almost no milk, and I accomplished this without a major mental/hormonal breakdown.  It was certainly convenient not to lug a big pump with me down the eastern seaboard, and also nice to not have to stop what I was doing at some point in the day to pump.  I'm left now with: a recurring thought that there is something I forgot to do, an occasional need to pump the tiniest bit (literally drops), a little more time in the day, a minute to minute fear that I am putting weight back on, and, bras from pre-pregnancy that are too big on me, not awesome.  So... I guess that's it?  No confetti or anything? :-)

In other news, AJ had a successful first plane ride and an unsuccessful second trial of whole eggs.  I am also amazed to see that most unflavored soy milk still has sugar added, and how far I have to dig to find the ones without added sugar.  I assume I am doing the right thing... does a 1 year old really need evaporated cane juice?  This week we will probably try tofu.  In what form, I don't know yet.

My best guess is that he will be walking for real sometime in the next month.  He bravely takes a step or 2 at a time and then usually falls, but he does keep trying!  And he can definitely do an ok job walking if he is holding on to my finger.  His personality came out even more while we were on vacation.  Such a silly boy, and so excited about everything, especially the dog!  Another high point was when the kid 2 rows ahead of us on the plane kept screaming-- not crying, just randomly SCREAMING , and AJ put his hands over his ears.  I didnt even know he knew how to do that!  Seriously, he cracks me up every day!

Psychological/Biological/Illogical?

Something is up.

This past week I got the first pimple I've had on my face since first trimester of pregnancy.  Two actually.
Yesterday I had to take a nap (a nap?!) because I was totally exhausted and could seriously no longer function.  I woke up this morning and could. not. move.  Its a cross between as exhausted as I was during pregnancy, and what i can only describe as feeling like thick mud is moving through my veins.
I've gotten more than one sideways glance from Joe this week for snappy answers I gave to pretty innocent questions.

This week I also fully cut out one of my remaining three pumping sessions of the day, and have been decreasing the amount I pump at the other two.  It took me a full week to adjust to moving from 2 to 3 but comfort/discomfort wise, I'm fine now.   The other times of day I'm not even getting as much, so.... I guess its working.

Except whatever the F is happening as my hormones try to figure themselves out.  I don't think its a coincidence that these things are linked, and Dr. Google has provided enough evidence that I don't think I'm making it up.  The truth is I've been feeling basically amazing since pregnancy, counting out first trimester and the couple of times I was a crazed paranoid maniac during the third.  Sure I was a little weepy in the week or so that followed AJ being born, but overall I have never felt better in the 11 months that followed-- physically and mentally.  And I think its all about to come to a screeching halt.

To the left, to the left

We have embarked on the journey of soymilk!  Rosy, rashy cheeks are gone and so far AJ has taken very well to a few ounces in his bottles.  In fact he hasn't seemed to notice a change in taste and I'm hopeful that this will continue as I increase the soymilk proportion over the next few weeks.

That means the time has come-- I really can phase out pumping.  If you asked me 9 months ago when I first returned to work and was pumping 6-7 times every 24 hours, I never would have thought I'd get here.  Once I got down to fewer times per day, like 3 or 4, I started to appreciate the time rather than feel like it was ruling my entire life.  I could read a little, zone out watching TV, just have a few minutes to myself over the course of the day.  In a way I will miss that.  I also feel like this is the last thing I've got going that makes me say 'wow, our bodies are amazing!' which I said daily during pregnancy.  I will miss feeling like a bit of a superhero.  And of course, long gone will be the days when what AJ would consume in a day was something I didnt have to think about or plan.  I already miss that.  Oh real food, why wont you prepare yourself?? 

But there is one thing that I will not miss.  Since 2 days after AJ was born, my boobs have been noticeably lopsided.  I have no idea what I did to make one side so crazy, but I haven't been able to regulate supply on that side to equal the other.  I will not miss that, and I really hope that when the milk production facility finally closes up shop, that I'm not left with still lopsided-ness.  Because among other things, I really cant wait to get fitted for new bras.  

Rosy Cheeks

No, not a cute Valentines day pun... more like, I think AJ has an allergy.  On Sunday he had yogurt for lunch, and an abundance of kisses from his grandparents for dessert.  Shortly after, his cheeks and chin got super red and splotchy and bumpy.  I attributed it to more kisses than usual (so hard to resist) including facial hair and lipstick (don't worry, not on the same person). But when it happened again yesterday after more yogurt and no kisses... its not looking so good.  As reactions go, some face splotchiness isnt so bad, but Mondays reaction was worse than Sunday's so needless to say, no more yogurt.

Whats odd is that he has had yogurt in jar food mixes for over a month with no ill effects... but I have read that this can happen suddenly.  I'm not sure this fares so well for our transition to milk, but the doctor will make that call.  Supposedly kids can outgrow dairy allergies (if that is in fact what this is) so we will see.  And to think, I ate all that cheese and drank all that milk during pregnancy how could his body not love it!